A cat veranda gives your cat the outdoor experience he desires without any of the danger.
Cats often love the outdoors, but letting your cat roam free outside can be very dangerous. Outside, cats can be exposed to a variety of hazards including cars and other animals. If you want to provide your cat with a safe outdoor experience, consider building him a cat veranda. A cat veranda is a small enclosure that can be attached to one of the windows on your home. To enjoy his veranda, your cat can simply jump up into the window and curl up inside the veranda to observe the great outdoors.
Instructions
1. Measure the width of the window where you intend to install your cat veranda using a measuring tape, measuring the distance between the inside edges of the window frame when the window is open. The best type of window to use is one that opens by sliding upward rather than swinging outward.
2. Cut a sheet of 1-inch plywood to the width measurement you just took and to a length of 22 inches using a table saw. This will serve as the base for your cat veranda.
3. Sand the cut edges of the plywood using medium-grain sandpaper, and then paint it the desired color using interior-grade latex paint. Let the paint dry before moving to the next step.
4. Use a table saw to cut four pieces of 1-by-1-inch hardwood to the width of the veranda base. Cut eight more pieces of 1-by-1-inch hardwood to a length of 12 inches. You will be using these pieces of hardwood to construct the frame for your cat veranda.
5. Arrange four of the 1-by-1-inch hardwood pieces in a rectangular shape using two of the 12-inch pieces for the short sides and two of the pieces cut to the width of the veranda base for the long sides. Sandwich the 12-inch pieces between the ends of the longer pieces and align the edges.
6. Drive nails from a nail gun through the outside of the longer hardwood pieces into the thickness of the 12-inch pieces to secure the frame.
7. Repeat Steps 6 and 7 to create a second identical frame. These rectangles will be the top and bottom of your veranda frame.
8. Lay one of the rectangular frames flat on top of the 1-inch plywood veranda base at one end, aligning the edges. Drive nails from the nail gun down through the hardwood frame into the plywood every 2 to 3 inches to secure it in place.
9. Stand one of the four remaining 12-inch pieces of 1-by-1-inch hardwood upright in each corner of the rectangular frame you just attached to the veranda base. Secure the upright pieces of hardwood in place by driving nails from the nail gun at a downward angle through the upright pieces into the hardwood frame.
10. Set the second rectangular frame directly over the frame attached to the veranda base so it rests on top of the upright 1-by-1-inch pieces of hardwood. Secure this frame in place by driving nails down through the top of the frame into the thickness of the upright hardwood pieces.
11. Cut four pieces of metal or plastic mesh to cover the sides of the cat veranda using a pair of tin snips or utility scissors. Cut two pieces using the width of the veranda and a height of 12 inches to cover the back and top of the frame. Cut two 14-by-14-inch pieces to cover the sides.
12. Hold the pieces of mesh in place against the sides of the frame and secure them by driving staples from a staple gun through the mesh into the hardwood frame.
13. Put the cat veranda in place from the outside of your home, sliding the plywood veranda base through the open window so the mesh-enclosed veranda is on the outside and the remaining portion of the veranda base rests on the window sill and juts out into the room.
14. Adjust the height of the window so it is even with the top edge of the veranda base. You may also position the veranda so the back edge sits just below the window -- then you can close the window on the veranda frame to help hold it in place.
15. Install two large wooden or metal wall mount brackets on the underside of the plywood veranda base, aligning the outside edges with the edges of the plywood. Position the brackets so the top flat edge is screwed in to the underside of the veranda base and the vertical portion of each bracket hangs down, the back edge resting against the wall. These brackets will support the weight of your cat veranda to keep it from falling out of the window.
Tags: veranda base, your veranda, 12-inch pieces, 1-by-1-inch hardwood, from nail
